A Life For A Life
by Hongily
Summary: Umiko wants one thing: an amulet to bring back her sister. She tries hard, and gets so far, but in the end, will she lose it all? Things get complicated when a stranger stands in her way. Unstoppable force, meet unstoppable object. What will she do?


I took a deep breath. I didn't want to. I _really_ didn't want to. Oh dear god, why am I doing this?

I sighed.

I'll admit it - I'm headstrong. I'm certainly not a person who needs to be helped very often. But there's a time when even I had to admit I have a problem.

And stealing a magical amulet is harder than I thought. A lot harder.

I tried and had plenty of cuts and bruises to show for it. And yet I couldn't give up. I'd die before I give up. My eyes grew misty. If only you knew the whole story. I'll begin at the beginning.

Six days ago, my sister was killed. Her name was Sakura. She was killed by some miserable excuse for a demon. Kane. Why he killed her, I never found out. I tracked down the bastard. Needless to say he begged for his life. I could see the fear in his pathetic green eyes.

Then I slit his throat.

Too bad I didn't give him a chance to talk, but he wasn't really in the mood to talk nor was I to listen. I was too mad. It didn't really give me that sense of satisfaction though. I don't know why. I then pondered what to do next for the course of a few days.

It took me a while to realize it, but I was going to bring my sister back from the dead. It wasn't a matter of whether I could do it or not.

I was going to do it.

I think my ruthless determination saved my sanity. It gave me something to live for. But it was no easy matter of course. I had to do some research, but I finally found an object capable of doing what I desired. The Amulet of Necromancy. It had the power to resurrect and capture souls, but I was just interested in the resurrecting part. Of course, it wasn't as easy as just _buying_ something so precious. The damn thing was guarded in some godforsaken forest in the countryside. And it had a freaking castle with demons too! But regardless I had set my sight on it.

Naturally, I came after it headstrong. I wasn't the type to smooth-talk my way in, or barter, whatever the hell it is people usually do. Maybe I should have come up with a plan first. Long story short, I got my ass kicked and left empty-handed like a sniveling dog. Hell, I didn't give up but I couldn't just try again. They probably would have upped the security in any case.

So I did the next best thing: I decided to use somebody to do my dirty work for me.

Hey, when you're desperate, you're willing to do anything.

So here I was. Spirit World. Koenma's castle. I stared at the wooden doors long and hard.

Me. Asking for help? I sure was desperate.

I knocked lightly and fixed my face to show pity. Tears were welling up in my eyes. Whether they were real or fake, I couldn't tell. The doors opened.

It revealed Botan, the Spirit World grim reaper. Everybody knew her. Well, at least heard of her title, even humans.

Her eyes lit up with warmth. "Hello there, and who might you be?" Her voice was so bright and cheery; it was hard to resist laughing.

"My name is Umiko Yamada" I said chuckled hesitantly as if I was unsure of how convincing I was. Well, it was the truth.

"I've come here to ask for your help Botan." I fiddled with my hands. "You see, my sister died recently, and well, a very important amulet was stolen from her. I want it back."

I gazed at her reaction carefully. Her eyes were rapt with attention. And pity perhaps? Good. As if that sign wasn't enough; her words confirmed it.

"Oh dear…I'm so sorry for your loss Umiko. Certainly, I'll talk to Koenma about it. Come with me this way please."

I would have grinned like a Cheshire cat if I could have. Too bad. I settled for a demure nod, and smiled slyly the second she turned her back. I couldn't resist.

It was all too easy to trick her.

Botan led me through a hectic workroom filled with demons and papers. I couldn't help looking around curiously; I didn't simply get the chance to waltz right into Koenma's castle every day. I observed as much as I could with a nattering curiosity from afar, but before I got a chance to do it thoroughly, we had already arrived at Koenma's desk.

I found myself in front of Koenmna himself. Gulp. Looking straight into those brown eyes was unnerving to say the least.

"Um, Koenma sir, as I have told Boton, my dear sister was killed just days ago, and the demon responsible for her death stole the Amulet of Necromancy" my eyes shifted uneasily. Why was I so uncomfortable with lying?

I shook my head. "Listen. It's extremely significant to me that I get that amulet back. Please… Now you may ask why this concerns me. Why does it matter to me?" I paused, "Well, if you were to sen a team of spirit detectives to help me retrieve the amulet, I'll hand it over to Spirit World so it may be safely placed in the vault. I won't need it for long after we take the amulet. I just simply don't want those bastard demons to have my sister's amulet. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

Koenma took in my words, thinking it through for a few brief minutes. "Hmm...and just what are the powers of the Amulet of Necromancy?"

I faltered. My thoughts raced in my head. Should I tell him the truth or should I lie?

I lied. "Er, I believe it vaguely concerns death. Something with souls perhaps. Although to what extent, I cannot say. My sister didn't tell me all about the specifics – for personal reasons you see."

He nodded slightly in sympathy. "I'll comply with your request. I'll gather the team, and if all goes well, you'll get back this amulet in no time. These are the finest spirit detectives in Spirit World. I picked them myself." he said smugly. "Now, do you know where this amulet is?"

I smiled. "Yes, I do. It's in a fortress located in the mountains. It's near the countryside. And thank you very much for your kindness." I added. It couldn't hurt to kiss up a little bit.

"Hmm…Alright. I'll send the team out with you tomorrow. It's set. Good luck Umiko."

I thanked him again. He was easy to manipulate, but I couldn't deny that he cared about my predicament.

So with a sense of relief and elation, I waited as Koenma called for the spirit detectives. I wondered if my plan to steal the amulet would succeed. There were so many unknowns, so many factors involved.

Would I actually pull this off? Would I die attempting this plan?

Well, first off, I had to meet the spirit detectives.


End file.
